ELEGANT…AND DYING
After creating a stunning album in Sombre Romantic a few years ago, one of the most underrated bands in all of music has finally graced us with a work of art that is almost too good to describe with mere words. The only thing that crosses my mind that does this album any justice is “INCREDIBLE.” Virgin Black totally lays their souls bare and creates a work that is utterly drenched in emotion. Elegant…and Dying is an astonishing journey that is nothing short of one of the most moving things you will ever hear in your life. Virgin Black will usually be described as gothic, but they go so far beyond anything that genre has generated. The band still incorporates metal into their music, but less than was evident on Sombre… The album delves much more into calmer passages that include beautiful cello, flute, soft guitar, and piano. The lead guitar playing of Samantha Escarbe is so amazing on this disc that it seems the guitar is an elegant voice singing sweetly and softly in your ear. It totally mesmerizes you, till you forget where you are. Sometimes it’s as if the guitar is literally crying. Then it will stop, only to be replaced by a lone piano playing individual keys delicately and deliberate, sounding as if it’s being played in a huge hall, echoing off the towering walls into oblivion. Then Craig Edis’ crushing riffs break the near silence with a mournful feel that tears at your soul. It’s inconceivable how this band’s instrumentation takes on a life of its own, able to solely move the listener to their knees. But it gets better as the vocals of Rowan London take this art to the next level and beyond. If you considered London’s vocals great on their last album, this’ll take your breath away. It is almost as if he’s not even trying. His voice just effortlessly slides off into the air, piercing and hypnotizing you. He is in total control and his voice becomes one with the instruments playing along. Whether he whispers, chants, sings softly, or whether he rakes you over the coals with his agonizing screams, he never fails to impress. At times, it sounds like his vocals are coming from a deep, dark pit or maybe even a prisoner’s cell hundreds of feet below in a gloomy dungeon. I must say that this entire album is one of the most depressing and haunting albums I have ever heard. Stellar production and outstanding artwork round out what promises to easily be one of the top albums of 2003 and maybe of all time. The End Records scored big time when they picked up a band of this high caliber. Virgin Black’s new recording is an absolutely must for anyone who calls themselves a lover of music. [THE END / MATT MORROW]

[Ed - We had a bunch of comments for this review, but some goons with hacking bots found this comment blog (probably because it had the word “virgin” in it) and posted hundreds of porn related comments. So, I’ve edited this review to not allow comments. Sorry. Some goons spoil it for the rest of us…]